Thirty.

His head jerks forward, and his eyes study me.

"Did he harm you?" His voice is dangerously low and I swallow back the notion of him finding out who Castello is.

The sound of a door slamming shut lingers in the air and I watch as he turns his head for a split second in the direction Castello left.

I also manage to catch a glimpse of his hands curling into tight balls at his side. Smearing a ghostly shade of pale white across his knuckles before he relaxes them and returns my gaze.

"No, Mr Burak." I shift my gaze from his face to the ground in front of me.

My body is flooded with emotions that are quickly making me sick to my stomach.

And, I'm unsure on how to begin processing anything that is happening between me and Aydem or what has been expressed between me and Castello.

The burden of my worries is getting increasingly too great for me to bear on my own shoulders.

I take a deep breath and peer up to see Aydem looking at me in a scrutinizing manner.

"Are you alright, Miss Cross?" He takes a step towards me but he makes no effort to invite himself inside the apartment.

I continue to stare at him.

And my mind goes wild with questions that want to be asked. He's my son's father. Another man in this godforsaken world who has the power to destroy me. The power to take away the only real thing that matters to me, Sandro.

My precious baby boy, who is a spitting image of the stranger standing before me.

His eyes, jet black hair, and olive complexion are a dead giveaway, and I am afraid that if Aydem takes one look at Sandro, he will be filled with questions.

Questions I'll never fully be prepared to answer.

"Who was that man?"

I hear him ask but his voice is barely a whisper and I pretend I didn't hear him.

It's safer if he doesn't know for the both of us.

"How did you find me?"

"Your address is stated on your application form." He declares bluntly.

"Oh,"

Of course, how else would he have found me? I internally facepalm myself and suddenly feel foolish for believing that he may have followed me home.

"I'll just grab my bag and I'll accompany you back to the Burak building." I turn, intending to retrieve my bag and I feel the warmth of his hand wrapping around my arm, stilling me.

"Hayir (no), that won't be necessary." He says in a clipped tone.

I yank my arm back, away from his grasp. "Are you firing me?" I couldn't contain the horror that coated my words.

My eyes fly quickly across the room as I place a shaky palm on my head. "Of course you are; that is why you have come here." I scoff, obfuscating my distress.

Silence dances between us as we continue to stare at one another.

I finally cave in and clamp my palm over my mouth, muffling the cries that are erupting from my throat and I lock my gaze on him with wide eyes. "Sandro.." I whisper.

I swiftly turn away from him and grab my purse from the kitchen bench, draping the strap over my shoulder.

"Please, it's time for you to leave now."

I plead with him as I exit my apartment, inserting my key into the keyhole and turning it until I hear the slight click of the door locking.

"Miss Cross, please slow down and take a moment to breathe." He says soothingly, and if he had suggested that I take a breather at any other time, I would have taken his advice.

How am I to consider resting at all? If Castello learns of my dismissal, Gods!, I can only imagine what he has in store for my failure.

"I do not have the luxury of resting. Now, please, leave." I close my eyes, resting my head against the cold door, praying for him to depart.

"I'm not firing you."

"Your not?" I ask with my back still facing him.

"Hayir (no)."

I slowly turn around to face him. "Then why are you here, if you don't mind me asking, Mr Burak?" I enquire gently, as he still remains to be my boss, and I lean against the closed door, staring up at him.

His brows crease together as he studies me. "You ran away from me after we shared a kiss." He brushes his hand over his face with a tormented expression. "I guess.. Bok! (Shit!)" He stands in front of me, his hands pressed against the door, imprisoning me between them.

"I.." I abruptly close my mouth, feeling befuddled.

What do I say to him?

'I fled because I feared you were the father of my baby? Which, incidentally, you are, and he is at the Esposito Mansion, which is strongly guarded by the Italian mafia. Oh, and because you are also a Turkish mafia blood member, they are holding our son hostage until I financially cripple you.'

Yeah, I'm sure that will go down like a glass of fine wine for him.

"Why?" He whispers in a hushed tone. "Why did you run from me?"

"I shouldn't have kissed you. You're my boss and you're off-limits."

"I liked kissing you, Miss Cross." He purrs, cupping my jaw and rubbing my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.

I pull in a slow and shaky breath. He was seducing me with his smouldering looks and the proactive tone of his voice.

"Thank you" I duck under his arms and walk away from him.

He is a sin I cannot allow myself to be wrapped up in.

I hear him mutter something under his breath in his mother tongue as he follows me down the corridor. His strides are long and he easily catches up with me. Before I can register what is happening I find myself pinned to the wall by six feet, four inches of hard, hot male.

"I will warn you what happens when you run, kedi yavrusu." (Kitten.) He nips along my jawline with his perfect white teeth and soothes the sting with his caressing lips. "I will only catch you."

Something inside me yearns to surrender and my body goes lax with pleasure as he presses up against me. I want him, so badly it physically aches. I was lusting after him, but it felt like so much more at the same time.

If another male had attempted to overpower me with the weight of his body, I would freak out. But with Aydem, I craved to be under him. Controlled by him and when he flashes me with a lopsided grin, my heart seizes. My knees weaken as he nuzzles his nose against mine.

"You cannot tell me that you don't want me when you stare at me all starry-eyed, Miss Cross."

The heat of his body and the mouthwatering scent of his skin is driving my body wild. "Mr Burak..." I breathe, entranced.

He seals his lips over mine with a soft growl, stealing my anxieties away with a lust-infused, deep kiss.

I run my fingers through his hair, restraining him while I kiss him back; my tongue glides past his lips, and when I come across his tongue, I stroke it. Luring him to utter another rumbling growl.